Pics & Impressions from Slate showing in Denver today

[Imhotep]

What did the people say at the event?

The clamps were there to keep people from closing the hood onto other people’s fingers.

Doesn’t answer the question about struts vs prop bar, and I didn’t actually think to ask.

 

[KevinRS]

Does a car trunk have a prop bar? I figure that is why no prop bar, this is storage, not just repair and maintenance access, it's more steps if you've got to put up the bar to load your groceries in it.

 

[GaRailroader]

After further contemplation, a prop rod might be a bridge too far. You probably don’t pop the hood to check fluids and what not in an ICE vehicle nearly as often as you pop the trunk to put in groceries or whatever. I can see me explaining to my wife that before she moves the groceries from the cart to the trunk she needs to plant this prop rod on the hook to hold the frunk lid open and her looking at me like I’m crazy. So Jeff Jablanksi, if you are reading this, forget we mentioned the prop rod, don’t do that but the front bench seat is pure gold, go ahead and implement that.

 

[Dorbiman]

Noticed that. Also wondering why the clamp is there.

It’s a safety thing. Most shops have techs throw them on during maintenance too. It’s just a precaution

 

[KevinRS]

But is that any less of an inconvenience than leaning way over to roll down the passenger window to crank up the 2-60 air-conditioning?

Whole different thing. The only time I roll down windows is to let out heat when it's hot and I've been parked in the sun. If the slate has preconditioning that may not be an issue, though more than keyfob range would be good, would be nice to have it start 5 minutes before I leave a store.
If I am walking to my car carrying stuff to put in the trunk, I push a button on the key and can use 1 finger to open the trunk. A prop would mean I need both hands to open the frunk. So just put the groceries down on the asphalt, lift the frunk cover, put up the prop, pick the stuff back up off the ground to put it in? Same thing unloading, a prop means a 2 hand operation to close it.

 

[Trace26]

A pop rod on what would essentially be a trunk, wouldn't make any sense. Gas struts are pretty cheap and are off the shelf parts.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Okay, so first off, I was joking, because I think the whole idea of manual roll up windows as being some indicator of a back-to-basics ethos is stupid. While gas struts are cheap and off the shelf parts, so are electric window mechanisms. So much so that Slate had to find a supplier in Brazil from where to source its manual window mechanisms. Lol.

Especially when the doors have electric locks and a key fob to unlock the doors. The reason nearly every new car model, and probably every new car sold in the US, has electric windows is for convenience and safety; to not have to lean over to roll down the passenger window while driving (like I did back in the day).

But to your point about loading groceries. Most people push their cart out to their car. They open the trunk and load the groceries in. My Gen 6 Bronco is a Rubics Cube effort, I have to push the fob to unlock the tailgate, swing the tailgate open, then flip up the rear glass. A real PITA.

Back in the day when cars had manual rollup windows gas struts weren't invented and trunks had springed hinges, big coil springs to hold the heavy, giant deck lid up. Fancy cars even had coil springs to lift and hold the hood up!

A frunk prop rod on the Slate makes complete sense and follows the ethos of inconvenience of manual windows (despite the convenience of electric door locks operated by a key fob from 30 feet away).

So you are all in on Brazilian cranks?

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Nah, I'm going for the electric option. It'll probably push the Slate into the price realm of the Maverick.

But I'm saving money on the wrap, I'm going rattle-can the thing!

I feel you, actually.

Updating my list of wants/needs:
-big battery
-lift
-AT tires
-spare tire
-Open air/SUV kit
-??? on color - might keep it real for a minute before I drop a tape line and rattle some color on the bottom
-inside I have not thought as much about - lockable console makes sense and some door pulls, Electric windows, but am still blank slate on the rest. Will look into replacing OEM driver seat with something much better on my back.

Here's to business going well for another 18 months so this becomes a thing

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I'm hoping I can hold out another 18 to 24 months. My current pickup is pretty much on its last legs. Looking hard at the Nissan Frontier (I wish they still called it the Hardbody).

Loved my hardbody (and my Frontier - I had the first year in 1997). Both were manual tranny, rwd and manual locks/windows, now that I think of it.

Hmmm...subliminally, that might be one reason I'm in on Slate?

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Found a Frontier close to me. S trim, king cab, 4x4. With discounts it is $33K. Naturally aspirated V6. 3.8L. Hard to not consider against a future $30K Slate with the big battery and a wrap. If I need a truck in the near term.

Yeah, mine was like a 2.4L! It was nobody's towing machine but was excellent at carrying stuff around for light landscaping, etc.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I don't know if this is feasible from a manufacturing viewpoint. But it would be cool if, down the road a few years, Slate offered differently stained body color panels. Then, instead of wrapping, customers could swap panels.

So I could buy a dark red stained thermoplastic Slate. And you could buy a gray one. And then we could swap a few panels and have tons of fun. Our Slates could become quilts that morph over time. Slates could become patchwork quilts, driving conventional people to distraction and giving them headaches when they pass us on the road.

Or to put it another way, our Slates could become rolling Rubik Cubes. I'm visualizing a poor man's version of the classic BMW art cars.

 

[granite_slate]

Sounds more like a DIY VW Harlequin concept. Individual cars were built as solid colors, and then “scrambled” together at the factory. This one is a red base:

Car and Driver: VW Harlequin

Love me some BMW art cars though. The Warhol M1 is my favorite; I visit it every chance I get.

 

[atx_ev]

I don't know if this is feasible from a manufacturing viewpoint. But it would be cool if, down the road a few years, Slate offered differently stained body color panels. Then, instead of wrapping, customers could swap panels.

So I could buy a dark red stained thermoplastic Slate. And you could buy a gray one. And then we could swap a few panels and have tons of fun. Our Slates could become quilts that morph over time. Slates could become patchwork quilts, driving conventional people to distraction and giving them headaches when they pass us on the road.

Or to put it another way, our Slates could become rolling Rubik Cubes. I'm visualizing a poor man's version of the classic BMW art cars.

if they publish the specs I bet 3rd parties start producing colored panels.

 

[SLATEchad]

What are the clamps on the struts for? Why not no struts and just use a single prop bar?

I think they likely feel like this will be used and opened a lot more than the standard hood covering the engine bay, as this is meant to be a storage space. I'd be annoyed about having to hold the hood up and set the prop bar if I've got my bag in one hand or whatever I may be loading up.

 

[AZFox]

The clamps were there to keep people from closing the hood onto other people’s fingers.

This. For one reason or another they installed the clamps to keep people from closing the frunk.

The company is engineering an experience. The experience of futzing with a prop bar is a PITA, so they opted for hassle-free struts.